Old Friends Are Best
by Cheesecake-and-Pengins
Summary: An unexpected visitor causes tension in the DG.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: If anyone wants to beta this give me a shout.**

Loud arguing could be heard throughout Elm Tree as the door opened emitting a young woman into the house. Sighing theatrically she shook her head in exasperation as she made her way into the office.

"What's happened now?" she asked, looking towards Mike and Gina for answers.

"The TV. What Else?" Replied Gina as she rummaged through the piles of paperwork that littered the office.

"It's still broken?" Tracy asked a look of disbelief passing over her face as she hung up her coat and dropped her bag onto the floor.

"It can't be repaired until Monday. We'll just have to keep them amused till then" Mike interjected. "You can get them to clean up the living room for Saturday. I don't know how they manage to get it in that state"

"Why what's happening Saturday?

"Someone's coming to start a placement here. We told you about it last week when I authorised it."

"Oh, I'll go get started then." Smiling Tracy left the office to find the kids. Not that it would be hard she thought, all I have to do is follow the noise. Grimacing at the noise increase as she entered the living room, Tracy fought to be heard over the racket.

"Hey guys." Rolling her eyes as she was ignored, she stepped up unto a chair. "Guys!" she shouted, pleased with herself as a shocked silence filled the room. "Mike wants you to clean up in hear for

Saturday".

A chorus of arguments from the children followed this announcement. Liam, Sapphire and Elektra, being the most vehement.

"Oh, stop moaning. The sooner you start, the sooner you finish. Now hurry up. I have to go start on dinner." Tracy then walked away smiling at the complaints still coming from the room. "Just another day" she muttered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I can't believe I forgot this last chapter. Unfortunately I don't own any TV shows and I probably never will.**

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><p>Elektra turned to face the others, smirking slightly, "Well you better get started then."<p>

"Give it up Elektra, your helping too." Sapphire said, rolling her eyes as she bent down to help Harry and Jeff pick up some toys from the floor. At the agreeing looks from Frank, Tee and Carmen who stood nearest them, Electra gave no reply other than to huff slightly and roll her eyes. The next twenty minutes was filled with grumbling as the kids continued to tidy up. This lasted until the monotony was broken when Johnny, spying Liam and Frank huddled over something beside the pool table wandered over to ask what the were doing.

"Nothing" Liam hushed, as Frank nodded in agreement "Go back to fixing...whatever."

"Awe, come on", Johnny wheedled. "This is boring".

"Then you're just going to have to stay bored" Liam answered, "Cause, we don't have anything".

"But..."

"Will you three stop messing around, and start helping", Sapphire interrupted indignantly "We're not doing this by ourselves". Johnny huffed and went back to helping Tee whilst Liam and Frank just rolled their eyes and returned to their conversation in hushed tones.

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><p>Tracy hummed softly to herself as she chopped up vegetables on the counter, her back to the door. She was listening to music and as she worked and so didn't notice when Gina walked into the kitchen and began to speak to her.<p>

"...you've finished can..." Gina stopped mid sentence as she realised the unresponsiveness of the young woman in front of her. "Tracy" she exclaimed slightly louder than before. When she still received no answer Gina walked around to the opposite side of the counter from Tracy waving her hand slightly whilst shouting her name a little louder than before to gain her attention.

"Gina" Tracy screamed jumping slightly, "You scared me. Don't sneak up on people like that."

"Sneak up?" Gina shouted. "Tracy. I have been talking to you since I came into the kitchen. You should not have you're earphones in at work. What if one of the children wanted you?"

"Al right, Al right, I'm sorry. What was it you wanted to ask me?"

Gina scowled at Tracy's impertinence before answering. "Mike and I want you to help move an extra bed into Carmen's room for Lily."

"Okay, I'll do it after dinner. Hey, I meant to ask earlier, do you now anything about who's coming for the placement."

"Not much, only that Mike knows him from a home"

"He's an ex care kid?" Tracy exclaimed.

"Yeah. Mike says he's a good kid." Gina replied walking back out the door. "Remember to move that bed later."

"Yeah, Yeah". Tracy muttered going back to preparing the vegetables for dinner, while putting her earphones back into her ears.

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><p>Liam looked back over his shoulder to see Frank giving him the thumbs up from the top of the basement stairs. He smiled to himself at the all clear and quickly made his way over to the boiler cupboard. Or the cupboard where the boiler used to be. Now it was the newest hiding place for Liamade. So far, it had been working out better than their previous ideas. The main reason being that none of the other kids had yet to find out about it. Moving swiftly, he quickly checked their stash before re-padlocking the door and rushing back up the steps to rejoin Frank at his lookout.<p>

"Let's go, before somebody sees us" Liam said, panting slightly from excitement, and his quick run up the stairs.

"Yeah" Frank replied as they made their way back through the home. " We don't want anyone to snitch on us again."

"Not before tomorrow anyway" Liam replied with a smirk."Hopefully there won't be any left by then."

"Any of what?" The surprise query caused Liam and Frank to share a quick look of panic before Liam turned to face the two girls waiting expectingly behind them. A smile already forming on his face.

"Rooms. We're gonna open a B&B. You'll be fine in the attic for a while, yeah?"

"Oh ha ha." Carmen replied, rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of his suggestion. "Very funny Liam. What are you really doing?"

"Does it have anything to do with the leaflet Johnny saw you with earlier" Tee challenged. Liam shook his head, frowning a little in agitation.

"Look, it's like I already told Johnny. We're not doing anything"

Carmen looked at Tee in disbelief before turning back to the boys. "Gina said we've not to get into any trouble tomorrow because of the new care worker."

"Good thing we're not doing anything wrong then" Liam replied, before he and Frank turned their backs on the girls and made their way up the main stairs sniggering at the girls expressions as they were left behind.

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><p><strong>AN: The surprise guest comes next chapter. Promise.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I under no circumstances own the show Tracy Beaker.**

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><p>The sun had barely risen when Frank knocked quietly on Liam's door, looking nervously around himself. Before he could face forward once more, the door was wrenched open and he was pulled swiftly inside. Liam then shot a quick look along the corridor before silently closing the door once more.<p>

"You ready then?" He asked. Picking up his bag as he spoke and looking expectantly at his friend.

"Of course." Frank replied, indicating to his own bag over his shoulder.

"Well let's go then" Liam said smiling. "Before everyone gets up"

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><p>The gentle playing of a piano created a sharp contrast to Tracy's entrance the day before. Smiling at Gus encouragingly and ruffling his hair as she passed him at the piano, Tracy once again made her way into the office. Pointedly ignoring Gus's scowl as she did so.<p>

"So. Where's the new guy" she asked enthusiastically, looking around the office as if expecting him to be concealed behind a filing cabinet.

Mike and Gina both looked up from their piles of paperwork to share a look of amusement at the young woman's eagerness before answering.

"Unfortunately he's not going to make it till lunchtime" Mike answered. Traces of a grin still hovering at his lips. "He got stuck in a traffic jam coming down south."

"Oh, well" Tracy said disappointedly. "I'd best go get started then." Smiling in goodbye, she walked back out of the office, moving further into the 'Dumping Ground'. As she passed by Gus, still practising at the piano, she chuckled as he scowled at her once again.

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><p>The boys disappearance went undiscovered until lunchtime as they had planned. As it was Saturday, it was widely believed that they were just sleeping in, and so it took a well placed query from Gus to bring the situation to everyone else's attention.<p>

"They're probably still in their beds" Toby remarked, unconcerned by path the conversation was taking

"They're not. I checked" Gus replied.

"Why?" Toby asked incredulously.

"Because" he answered. "It was almost the afternoon and they weren't awake." At his response, most of the kids shared looks of bemused. The more than common reaction to Gus's peculiarities.

"Wait. So no one's seen them since last night?" Mike demanded. The worry that had somewhat marred his face as he entered deepening at the collection of no's in reply. "Right. Tracy I want you and Sapphire to keep trying to phone them. I'm going to have to contact the police"

Even as he was making this announcement Mike was making his way to the office leaving Tracy and the children in shocked silence. Only to be broken by Gus's voice rising in indignation.

"I told you they weren't in."

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><p>"I told you we'd get away without being seen" Liam cried smugly, taking his seat next to his friend. Frank shook his head in amusement.<p>

"But we could only take a couple of bottles" he argued.

"That's all we need" Liam bragged. "It's all about word of mouth. Once they taste the stuff, we're home free." At 'they' he had tapped the leaflet in his hands indicating who he was referring to.

The leaflet in question was an A4 piece of brightly coloured paper announcing a one off chance of a lifetime. Keavo_;_ a leading company in the juice market, was holding a competition where the winner got their own product mass marketed, with a healthy portion of the sales.

Liam and Frank had immediately saw this as their opportunity to front Liamade and so here they were. On their way to Watford on the outskirts of Greater London, where the main production lines for Keavo were. With nothing but their train tickets there and back, and a couple of spare quid.

"I'm going to get a bit of sleep. We were up too early" Frank stated quietly.

"Yeah I might do the same" Liam replied quietly, staring out the window. Within ten minutes both boys were asleep oblivious to the turmoil they would soon cause.

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><p>Back at the house panic reigns. Gina is being questioned by one policewoman in the office as Mike and Seth (who had turned up to help after a rather bizarre phone conversation with Tracy) , supervise another as he questions the kids. In the meantime Tracy and Sapphire were trying to get one the 'missing' boys to answer their phones. Leaving somewhat frantic messages in Tracy's case and annoyed in Sapphire's.<p>

Meanwhile through this pandemonium a young man knocks at the door. At receiving no answer and on finding the door ajar, he enters, calling out to anyone who can hear him to announce his arrival. Hearing voices coming from the kitchen, he heads in that direction, knocking loudly on the door to gain the attention of whoever was inside.

Tracy after leaving yet another voice mail on Liam's phone – this one slightly more angry than frantic – turned at the knock, confusion written on her face as she recognised the person standing there.

"Crash!" Tracy exclaimed loudly as she raced towards the young man standing awkwardly in the doorway and enveloping him in a hug. "What...What are you doing here?".

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><p><strong>AN: There you have it. The mystery guest revealed. What do you guy's think?**

** I've actually got most of the story written already so updates should be fairly quick.****It's just a matter of trying to find where I've put it all.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show Tracy Beaker. It belongs to ******Jacqueline Wilson****** and the BBC.**

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><p>Sapphire almost dropped her phone in shock at the scene unfolding in front of her. Before she could comment however, someone else beat her to it.<p>

"Well, aren't you going to introduce him then? Your blocking the doorway." From the hallway, Seth's voice rang loudly on the kitchen, causing Tracy and Crash to spring apart. As he walked into the kitchen looking over the newcomer, Seth's face was unreadable.

"Okay then. Seth, Sapphire, this is Crash" Tracy said, pointing at each person in turn as she spoke. "We used to be in care together."

"Hey" Crash greeted, waving slightly to the others. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other clearly embarrassed by the situation. "Actually" he declared "Most people know me as Liam now. I haven't really been called Crash since we were in care." At his admission he grinned at Tracy, who smiled back confidently.

"So, what are you doing here?" Seth inquired, moving to stand beside Tracy.

Before Crash could answer, Mike entered the kitchen speaking loudly as he came. "That's the police away, their sending a liaison officer round soonish and I've sent the kids upstairs. I take it you haven't heard anything." So intent on conversing with the girls it took Mike until he was almost at the table to notice the newcomer. "Crash, when did you get here?" Without waiting for an answer he carried on. "I'm sorry you've been overlooked, we've got a spot of bother at the moment. Two of the older boys have missing." Mike then looked apologetically at Crash before adding, "It's not a great day for you to start"

"Wait!" Tracy puzzled, looking to Crash. "Your the new care worker here for the placement."

"Yeah. Mike set it up." Crash replied. "I've nearly finished my course, I just need some practical experience."

"You could have told me you know." Tracy accused, frowning at Mike.

"It was supposed to be a surprise." Mike responded, smiling self deprecatingly, before returning to his original question. "Any news?"

Tracy's only response was to shake her head sadly, causing Mike to sigh loudly.

"I wonder were they could be" he pondered aloud, unconsciously echoing everyone's thoughts.

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><p>Frank awoke with a start as the train came to a stop. On hearing the automated voice announce the name of the current station, Frank nudged Liam in the side with his elbow. "Wake up." Liam jerked awake, looking around him in confusion for a moment until it all came rushing back.<p>

"Well are we there yet?" Liam asked as he looked out the window looking for a sign that would let him know where her was.

"Yep!" Frank replied excitedly. "Come on let's go." Picking up their bags the boys made their way out onto the station, before catching the bus that would take them to the factory and offices of Keavo. Once they got there however there enthusiasm ebbed slightly, giving way to nervousness. "We should go in"

"Yeah" Liam responded almost absently, before shaking his head slightly and clearing his throat. "Yeah" he repeated, more assured this time, throwing a smile in Frank's direction. "Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: The Return of Tracy Beaker belongs to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC. Not me unfortunately.**

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><p>Mike turned back to Crash clasping his hands in front of him. "So. We should introduce you to our other care worker, Gina and the rest of the kids. She should still be in the office." Passing by Crash on his way out of the kitchen, Mike momentarily rested a hand on the young man's shoulder." It's good to see you again Liam." Crash smiled back in acknowledgement before following him out. Pausing briefly in the doorway he turned back to Tracy still smiling.<p>

"It's good to see you again Beaker."

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><p>Sapphire shot a quick glance at Tracy and Seth, noticing the tension that seemed to radiate from them. Seth had been staring at Tracy since he entered the room and although no particular emotion could be seen on his face, Sapphire could see that his actions were beginning to make Tracy nervous. Feeling awkward she decided to make her excuses and leave them to it. "Right, well, I'm gonna go upstairs with the others. We're not getting anywhere with the phones anyway."<p>

"Yeah, you should do that" Tracy said distractedly, glancing away from Seth to smile at Sapphire. "Thanks for helping anyway."

"No worries" she answered, smiling fleetingly back before making her way up the stairs. Leaving Seth and Tracy alone in the kitchen.

Tracy turned back to Seth as Sapphire left, failing to keep the smile on her face at the sight of Seth's unresponsive one. "So, what did the police say?" she questioned, in a bid to ease the tension.

"Nothing much" he replied. "Just asked the kids if they knew why the boys left, or if they had been acting strangely the last couple of days." Moving to lean against the counter, Seth seemed to appraise the situation before speaking next. "So, you were close then? Back in the day?"

"Yeah." She answered looking wistful as she spoke next. "He was a good friend. My best actuality. We went through a lot together. You know what it's like"

"Yeah I do. You get closer to some more than others."

"What do you mean by that?" Tracy demanded sharply.

"You know what I mean."

Tracy sighed in frustration, running her hand through her hair. "It wasn't like that Seth. We we're kids for god's sake." Sitting down wearily on one of the chairs at the table she looked Seth in the eyes. "What does it matter anyway?" she challenged. Seth held her gave for a moment before pushing himself away from the counter, making his way towards her, smiling apologetically.

"I doesn't." He bent down and kissed her cheek, before backing slowly towards the door, speaking as he went. "Listen I'll phone you later. Keep me updated on any news on the boys, yeah." Before Tracy could respond he was gone, leaving her alone and confused.

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><p>Harry met Sapphire at the top of the stairs were he had been waiting for her. "We're having a meeting, to find Frank and Liam" he told her. "Jeff thought you should come." Sapphire smiled at the young boy, holding out her hand for him to take.<p>

"Well come on then. Where are the others?"

"They're in Carmen and Lily's room." Harry answered, taking her hand and pulling her in the right direction.

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><p>Liam shook with indignation as he paced up and down the corridor, watched by a worried Frank as he stood by the elevators, both bags at his feet.<p>

"Parental consent" he shouted. "What's that all about? I mean they liked the stuff. The even said so" Hitting the wall to his right with an open palm he turned back to Frank for confirmation.

"They said it was the best product they had tasted so far." The boy responded dutifully.

"Exactly!" Liam exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands. "The best they've seen! Yet we can't win because we don't have parental consent." Stalking halfway down the corridor he stopped a few yards away from a doorway that had a security guard standing outside, beside a skinny, bespectacled man with a clipboard. From where he stood Liam raised his voice once more, straining to be heard in the room behind the door. "It's not like we even have parents!"

His only response was a scowl from the security guard and a worried look from the young man beside him. Scowling now, he made to walk towards the door, only to be stopped by Frank grabbing his arm. "Stop it. You'll only get in trouble."

"But it's not fair." At Franks silent response, Liam sighed heavily and walked back to the lifts, dropping down to sit beside the bags. "So what are we gonna do no?"

"We could just go back" Frank shrugged as he sat down beside his friend.

"Go back? What with nothing to show for all this?" He argued. Waving his hand vaguely around him to indicate their situation.

"So what do we do then?" After a moments silence Liam only shrugged in response, dejectedly.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm not 100% about the conversation between Seth and Tracy. What do you guys think?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: The Tracy Beaker franchise, including The Return of Tracy Beaker and Tracy Beaker's Movie Of Me, belong to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC.**

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><p>Harry stopped in front of Carmen and Lily's door to knock quietly with his free hand. It was opened almost immediately by Carmen, who ushered them in, closing the door behind them. Although the room was large, the kids that were sitting in every available space gave it the impression of being claustrophobic.<p>

"So. You figured anything out yet?" Sapphire asked as she leaned against the wall adjacent to the door; having failed to find a suitable seat that hadn't been taken. Conversely, Harry didn't have the same problem, having managed to get a seat on one of the beds beside Toby and Elektra.

"No." Gus answered from his position at the front of the room, notebook in hand, where everyone would be able to see him. "We were waiting for you. Now that you're here we can start. Now," he added, pen poised, grabbing everyone's attention, although somewhat reluctantly from some. "What do we know about the disappearance of Liam and Frank?"

"Nothing, obviously." Elektra remarked. "Or we would know where they are."

"Shut up, Elektra." Carmen admonished. "This is important."

"Please. They've probably just run off together." Elektra countered. Unwilling to let an argument start, Toby quickly jumped in to ease the situation .

"Well I don't know anything." he stated. "What about you?" he asked, turning to Harry, who shook his head in response.

"Neither does Jeff."

"What about you, Lily?" Toby persisted. A shake of the head his only response. "Tee?"

"Well...me and Carmen saw them acting kinda weird last night." She said, looking to Carmen for support.

"Yeah," the other girl confirmed. "They said something about 'not having any left'. Don't know what they meant though." She shrugged.

"When last night?" Gus asked.

"I don't know, sometime after dinner?" Tee said vaguely.

Gus rolled his eyes, before carrying on with his interrogation. "Well, where were they coming from?"

"The basement?" she asked unsure, looking to Carmen, who nodded in agreement. "We saw them just before they went upstairs. They didn't tell us anything though."

"The basement" Gus repeated as he wrote something down in the notebook. "Anyone else see them acting strange?" The others traded looks with each other, all eager to hear what the others knew. Before anyone could add their two cents however, someone chapped lightly on the room door before it swung open.

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><p>"Good." Mike declared as he walked into the room, Crash following closely behind him. "You're all together." A brief frown passed over the man's face as the strangeness of the situation hit him fully. He must have decided to let it go however, because he continued on with barely a pause. "I'd like to introduce you all to your new temporary care worker. This is C...Liam." he said as he pointed to the young man standing beside him, stumbling slightly over the introduction. "He's here on a placement, so be nice." He warned lightly. "Now, introduce yourselves."<p>

After a moment's hesitation, Sapphire was the first to break the ice."We've met." she declared smirking slightly at the memory of what had just happened downstairs. The others soon followed Sapphire's lead, also introducing themselves to the young man.

"Al right then." Mike stated, moving back towards the door. "We'll see you at dinner." Pausing before he left the room, Mike turned back to face the kids. "If you guys know anything, you will tell me?"

"Yeah, course."

"Why wouldn't we?"

Mike, in no way looked impressed by the chorus of exclamations that came from the kids. Frowning now he looked them all in the eyes as he spoke. "They could really be in trouble guys. If you know anything..." Leaving the rest of the sentence trailing he sighed before leaving the room.

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><p>There was silence, after Mike and Crash left the room. The kids looked at each other uneasily, before Tee spoke up. "Do you think we should tell them?"<p>

"Tell them what, we don't know anything?" Elektra, pointed out, her voice filled with derision.

"Yeah, but if we do find something out...should we tell them?" Tee persisted.

No one answered and the room was uneasily silent once more. "Look," Sapphire said, once again the one to break the silence, "it's like Elektra said, we don't know anything, so it doesn't matter. So, does anyone else know anything?" She looked around the room at the other kids, before rolling her eyes and adding, "It's not exactly easy to keep secrets in this place."

Johnny shifted awkwardly, unintentionally bringing the others attention to him. "They were looking at something in the living room yesterday when we were tidying up." He said, his head was down, his eyes focusing on some point on the floor, embarrassed at the attention. "They wouldn't tell me what it was though." he added quickly, glancing up to look at them, Tee in particular.

"Well, what did it look like?" Gus asked intently.

Johnny shrugged helplessly. "I dunno, a bit of paper."

Gus frowned at the boys answer, unhappy that they weren't any nearer to the truth.

"It might still be here." Lily mused, almost to herself. Noticing the looks of confusion on the others, she explained excitedly. "The paper or whatever, Johnny saw, it might be in one of their rooms."

"We should check," Carmen added eagerly.

"The basement too." Gus stated. "They must have been hiding something down there."

"Then let's go," Elektra said without sharing the others enthusiasm. "Get this over with." She added to herself.

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><p>Tracy was still in the kitchen, sitting at the table where Seth had left her. When Crash entered she was playing with her phone. He sat on the seat opposite her, smiling as she jumped slightly, startled at the noise the chair made as he pulled it out.<p>

"Hey." She said, smiling back at him.

"Hey." He replied. "So, we've not really had a chance to talk since I got here."

"Yeah, it's been kinda crazy around here."she sighed, putting her phone back into her pocket, turning her attention to Crash.

"No word yet?" he questioned, concern plain in his voice.

"No, not yet anyway." Sighing she scrubbed her hands over her face in agitation. "I can't believe they've done this. They've got to know how worried we all are!"

"Well your one to talk." Crash announced , grinning to take the bite out of his words.

"What do you mean?"

"What, you don't remember running away from that one time to find your mum? Shelly and Elaine went crazy. And Cam..."

"Yeah, I can't believe she took that van." Tracy chuckled. "But that was different..."

"You sure?" Crash interjected. "We don't even know why they left, and at least they're not alone."

"Neither was I." She stated softly. Neither spoke for a moment after that, each remembering that particular time in their lives.

"Anyway, Elaine was always crazy." Tracy joked.

"Yeah, but you made her worse." He teased. "Remember when..."

They were both still reminiscing when Gina entered a while later to start dinner.

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><p><strong>AN: I should have put this in the last chapter but I forgot. Although I've wrote that Crash now prefers to be called Liam, he'll mostly still be referred to as Crash unless it's one of the other characters speaking to him. Mainly because there's another Liam in the story and I don't want there to be any confusion.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and locations in this fic belong to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC.**

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><p>Carmen and Lily had volunteered to search Liam's room - Carmen eager for the chance to snoop - and had found themselves joined by Tee and Johnny. The room was still pink except from a grey section on one of the walls, the only remnant of Liam's attempt to paint over the pink walls.<p>

"So, where should we start?" Lily asked as they stood in a group near the doorway, staring at the mess the room had been left in.

"Erm, maybe we should split up. Each of us take a different bit of the room." Carmen suggested. "It'll be faster."

The others nodded in agreement to the plan, and set to work.

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><p>Elektra, Toby and Gus made their way to the basement, all of them eager to find out what the boys were hiding.<p>

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Elektra murmured as she walked down the stairs behind Gus and Toby.

"If they were hiding something down here, there won't be many places it could be." Gus stated from the bottom of the stairs. "We should look at different side of the room, it'll be easier to find that way." He looked back to Elektra and Toby as if looking for signs that they agreed with him. He was unconcerned when he received none however, and barely waited for one. Almost as soon as he had finished speaking he walked over to the right side of the room and began rummaging among the paraphernalia that had collected there.

Toby and Elektra shared a look, before Toby shrugged and made his way to the opposite side of the room from Gus. Left alone by the stairs Elektra ambled further into the room, gingerly picking her way through the 'junk', as she saw it, that littered near the steps, doing her best to seem uninterested.

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><p>Sapphire opened the door to the room and entered slowly, as if worried she might be caught. When she had made it to the middle of the room, Harry followed her in, moving more quickly than she had. After it had been agreed to search the basement and the boys rooms for clues, the others had moved away quickly, leaving Sapphire and Harry alone to check Frank's room.<p>

Thinking, quite rightly, that the others would not hold back on their own searches, she half-heartedly began to look around the boy's room, feeling guilty as she did so. _If they ever did this to me I'd be pissed_ she thought.

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><p>"We should try again." Liam said suddenly. It had been the only words either of them had spoken in over half an hour. They had spent the time watching the workers and the other contestants come and go.<p>

Frank looked momentarily confused, before he figured out what Liam was talking about. "But we still don't have consent." He protested.

"We could fake it." He replied confidently, his smile almost predatory. "All we have to do is write a letter and sign it in Mike's name. I could forge it easy."

Frank considered the plan carefully before commenting. "Won't they recognise us?"

"I doubt it, there's been hundreds of applicants, and even if they do. We can just tell them we went back home to get it. You in?"

"Yeah, sure." Frank answered smiling in an effort to appear confident, when in fact he was anything but at present. Liam failed to notice the boy's indecision however, as he was currently rifling through the bags looking for a pen and a bit of paper.

Frustrated he threw down the bag he had been holding. "We don't have any paper. I'm gonna go see if I can find some, I'll be back in a minute."

Before Frank could respond, Liam was already halfway down the corridor. Bored, he pulled out his phone to play a game, only to find that it had turned itself off at some point during the day. Sighing in disappointment, he threw it into his bag, and looked around himself in disinterest waiting for Liam to return.

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><p>Lily huffed in frustration as she helped Carmen pull out the chest of drawers, only to discover nothing of interest – unless a fousty packet of crisps counted as interesting. Together they then attempted to move the next one until a shout of triumph from Johnny stopped them.<p>

"I found it!" The boy cried, holding the flier aloft, from his crouched position behind the wardrobe. "It's just like the one they had yesterday."

Lily and Carmen rushed over to stand behind Tee as they waited for him to finish scrambling out.

"Look!" He exclaimed excitedly, thrusting the paper towards them, "it's for a competition in Watford."

"Your sure it's the same one you saw before?" Lily demanded, glancing at the flier in Tee's hand. "I thought you didn't get a good look at it?"

"Yeah, it's got the same colours. Come on, we should show the others." He defended, grabbing the flier back from his sister's hand and nearly running from the room in his excitement. The three girls merely grinned, bemused at his behaviour, before following him out.

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><p>Sapphire looked up from her searching as Johnny barrelled into the room, waving something enthusiastically about his head.<p>

"We found it." He shouted, exiting the room just as quickly as he had entered.

Sapphire frowned as she moved towards the door, only to see Tee, Lily and Carmen, go past. "I guess we should follow them." She said, unenthusiastically, taking Harry's hand in hers once more, as they made they're way after the others.

* * *

><p>Elektra cautiously opened the door she had found, hidden somewhat behind a pile of boxes. It had been locked, but as someone who had previously been in gang she had picked up a few things, one of which being how to pick a lock. Making easy work of the old padlock, she peered inside, snorting in derision at what she saw. "I should have guessed," she muttered, before shouting on the others to come and see.<p>

Gus reached the cupboard first despite being further away than Toby had been. "It's Liamade." He stated, unnecessarily, earning a stare from Elektra.

"This must have been what they were hiding." Toby said from behind Gus, "We should tell the others." Moving away from the cupboard he made his way up the stairs towards the door, only to be stopped as it opened before he could get to it. He froze causing Elektra and Gus to bump into him from behind. The three stared in apprehension, only to see Johnny practically bounce into the room, followed seconds later by the others.

"We found the flier." He proclaimed, his words hampered slightly by his laboured breathing.

"We'll what's it say?" Toby demanded, forgetting their own discovery in the commotion.

"It's for a juice competition in Watford." The boy explained, coming further down the stairs so the others could enter behind him.

"Well that explains why we found another stash of Liamade then." Elektra said to no-one in particular.

* * *

><p>Tracy walked back down the stairs slowly, a frown on her face. After she had been asked to tell the kids that dinner was ready, she had immediately went upstairs, thinking to find them in their rooms. When she had failed to find any of them, Tracy quickly came to the conclusion that they had to be up to something. It was to much of a coincidence that all of them had gone. Pausing at the bottom she considered her options, there weren't many places down here they would all be able to be in. <em>The basement<em> she thought with sudden clarity.

Moving quickly now, she strode towards the basement door, purpose in her steps. Throwing it open she almost jumped in shock as nine pairs of eyes turned to stare at her, startled out of their conversation.

"What are you guy's doing down here?" She asked suspiciously.

"What's it matter?" Elektra demanded quickly, jumping in before the others could let something slip.

Tracy looked stunned before a moment at Elektra's reply. She had thought the girl was beginning to settle down here, but her attitude was apparently still intact. "Dinner's ready." She finally stated, annoyance plain on her face, though deciding to let the matter drop for the time being. "Mike wants you all in the kitchen." She continued before turning and going back the way she had came.

The others shared a quick glance before following half-heartedly, still eager to find out what was going on.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the delay, but there's actually sun, which is rare, and I've managed to get a bit of a tan, which is even more rare. Just thought I'd get this chapter out before I went back out to enjoy it while it lasts, it'll probably be pouring again this time next week. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: This is starting to get a bit repetitive but what you gonna do? All recognizable characters and locations in this fic belong to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC.**

* * *

><p>Dinner was almost silent as the kids wolfed down their pizza, impatient to get away. Crash stood beside Tracy at the counter, glancing nervously towards the kids.<p>

"Are they always this quiet?" He whispered to Tracy, uneasy in case they were planning to trick him in some way. An act that wasn't unexpected in his own days in care.

"No, it's strange," She replied, frowning once more "They normally never shut up."

Sapphire noticed both of them looking towards them and attempted to lighten the atmosphere in an attempt to shift suspicion. "So, you two were in care together?" She asked looking towards Crash, at his nod she continued. "Then you must have plenty of stories about Tracy in care." She said smirking at Tracy's discomfort at her suggestion.

"Well, yeah but this might not be the time..." Crash trailed at the end of his statement when he noticed the attention of the other children. Throwing an apologetic look to Tracy he moved closer to the table. "You really want to here stories about Tracy in care?" He challenged, already knowing the answer. At their eager response he grinned whole-heartedly. "Well," he began. "There was that time Justine dared you to dye your hair blonde." He flashed a grin at Tracy as he spoke purposefully ignoring the warning look that she was giving him.

"You went blonde?" Sapphire asked incredulously as Elektra snickered behind her hand and the rest of the kids looked on in anticipation.

"It was a dare." Tracy defended.

"Remember the 'Beaker Club'," Crash continued relentlessly, enjoying how flustered Tracy was becoming.

"That wasn't my fault..."

"What's the beaker club?" Lily interrupted. "You never told me about that." She added almost accusingly as she remembered the times she had spent with Tracy at Cam's.

"It was nothing. Just some kids fooling around." Tracy answered, playing down the situation.

"They were pretending to be you." Crash countered playfully. "And we haven't even gotten to the best stories yet. Remember when..."

"Enough!" Tracy exclaimed laughingly. "What about you? Remember that time you threw that chair out the window?" She teased lightly, clearly trying to divert attention away from herself.

Crash shrugged in response. "Still nothing compared to what you got up to Beaker." He challenged as he walked back towards where she standing, to stop in front of her.

Tracy squirmed slightly at his attention. From where she stood it almost seemed like his eyes were boring into her. An exaggerated cough behind them caught her attention and she looked away from him to see the kids all watching them intently. The older girls looking amused. "You guys finished?" She asked. "Cause you could always help wash up."

At the reminder of their finished dinner, and at the prospect of doing the dishes, the kids hurried off upstairs, to continue their meeting.

Left alone Tracy turned back to Crash to find that he was still staring at her intently.

* * *

><p>Frank was on the verge of going to look for him, when Liam returned, grinning widely as held up his spoils. "You got them then?" He asked. "Do you know what to write?"<p>

"Yeah, it can't be that hard." He answered confidently.

Almost ten minutes, and as many crumpled bits of paper later, the boys had compiled a passable enough letter for them to make a move.

"You ready for this?" Liam asked, nervous now, but trying to hide it.

Frank didn't answer immediately. He was nervous now and starting to reconsider their venture. Upon seeing Liam's nervousness however he decided to go for it, it was obviously important to him. "Yeah," he replied as confidently as possible. "Let's do it. They liked it remember, best they had tasted."

Liam smiled broadly at his friends response. "Okay then. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Tracy fiddled nervously with the hem of her top. "Did you really have to bring up the blonde thing?" She asked jokingly, glancing anywhere but into Crash's face.<p>

"Well they did want to here a good story." He replied quietly. "And that was a good one. You and Justine were always at each others throats."

"How is Justine I haven't seen her since..."

"Since the wedding?" He interrupted. "None of us really saw you after that."

Tracy looked up quickly at this, anxious that he would be mad at her. But his face showed no trace of displeasure and his tone had been light hearted, like he was still just teasing her.

"Yeah, about that, I..." She trailed off with a shrug, not quite sure how to explain.

"It's okay, I get it. I didn't make much of an effort to come back just after I got out either." He said soothingly as he leaned against the counter beside her, almost blocking her into the corner of the counter that she was leaning into.

"So you haven't seen anybody since then?"

"I heard a bit from Jackie after she went to the Sports Academy, but it stopped after a while."

"Nothing from Justine then?"

"Why the interest in Justine?" He questioned, the teasing note creeping back into his voice.

"Nothing really, you two just seemed really close before I left." Tracy replied trying to make the statement seem as innocent as possible. An attempt that was thwarted by the blush that was spreading across her cheeks.

Crash paused for a second before he next spoke, looking more nervous now than at any other time since he had been there. "Look, Tracy, I..."

Whatever he was about to say was disrupted by the ringing of Tracy's phone. Hoping it was one of the boys finally getting back to them, she gave Crash an apologetic look before answering.

"Hey Tracy, how's things? Any news on the boys?"

As Seth's questioning voice came through the phone Tracy whirled round to face Crash, reminded forcefully of when she had last spoke to Seth, and the tension it had caused.

"Seth!" She replied, her voice shaky. "Hi."

* * *

><p>As the last one to enter the room Lily shut the door firmly behind her before moving to take her seat beside Carmen and Tee on one of the beds.<p>

"So, now that we know where they are. What are we gonna do about it?" Elektra demanded from her place beside the window, arms folded firmly in front of her.

"We should tell Mike and Gina." Tee stated almost as soon as the other girl had finished speaking, "They might be in trouble."

"Says who?" Elektra countered, "It's obvious where they've gone, they'll come back when they're done."

"Then why aren't they picking up their phones?" Johnny asked. "I agree with Tee, we should tell Mike."

"Of course you agree with her you always do." Elektra snarled, her arms coming uncrossed as she took a step away from the window in anger. "Besides, If they answer their phones they'll just get in trouble."

"If they answered Tracy's calls yeah. But what about mine?" Sapphire questioned, once more feeling herself being dragged into an argument.

"Maybe they just don't like you." Elektra replied bitterly.

"Look, we should just tell them. They've probably got they're selves into trouble. Or Liam's mouth has." Sapphire continued, ignoring Elektra's statement and walking towards the door as she spoke, her mind clearly made up on the issue. "I'm telling them." She stated confidently, opening the door and walking out without waiting for a response.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and locations in this fic belong to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC.**

* * *

><p>Liam sat dejectedly in the hard plastic seat beside Frank. Looking around the small room they had been placed in, he sighed loudly, trying, and failing, to attract the attention of the security guard sitting across from them. Letting his head fall back onto the top of the chair, he stared at the ceiling in frustration. It had been such a good plan; or so he had thought. In the end Frank had been right and they had been recognised, fortunately they had the note. Unfortunately they didn't buy it and had insisted on calling Mike to verify it.<p>

That had been the turning point. Stuttering over excuses, they had tried to make a quick exit only to find it blocked by the security guard from earlier, the same one that now sat across from them. After that they didn't stand a chance. They had been cornered, left without any other option but to give in, and so they had been caught and brought here to be questioned. It had taken half an hour of stony silence from both of them before the guard had finally given up. He had not been angry though, he had in fact been smiling as he sent one of his workmates out to take his previous position by the doors, it was this that kept Liam from making any sarcastic comments.

Since then no one had spoken**, **the only sounds coming from the radio hanging on the guards belt, and from the guard himself as he tapped lightly at the computer in front of him.

* * *

><p>Still facing Crash, Tracy chewed lightly at her bottom lip as she, somewhat distractedly, carried on her conversation with Seth. "No. No, we've not heard anything."<p>

"Oh. Well I'm sure they're fine, I mean Liam's ran off before." Seth consoled.

"Yeah. It's just a bit unsettling that they haven't phoned." As she spoke, Tracy watched Crash as he moved away from the counter and walked towards the window.

"So, how you doing? You handling it alright? Seth asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. More worried about the kids actually, they've been acting kinda weird."

"It's probably just the stress." Seth assured, somewhat rushed. "Look Tracy, I'm sorry about earlier on. I over reacted."

"It's fine, just stress right?" she answered.

"Yeah, so I was wondering, once this all calmed downed, if you wanted to..."

Tracy interrupted quickly before he could finish. "We should talk about about it then, when it calms down."

There was a short pause, before Seth finally answered. "Listen, I've gotta go. I'll phone back later."

"Wait.." Tracy sighed in annoyance as the phone went dead. Rolling her eyes at the phone she looked back up at Crash, surprised to find him looking back at her once more. It was starting to make her nervous.

* * *

><p>Mike looked up, startled as Sapphire came barging into the office. "Sapphire! What are you..."<p>

"Look I'm sorry I didn't knock but I think we know where the boys are." She stated, breaking him off mid sentence. "We found a flier in one of their rooms, it looks like they went to try and sell Liamade." She continued, contempt in her voice as she delivered the last part of information.

Mike stared in confusion for a moment as he tried to take in all that had been said. "You know

where they are?" He questioned in disbelief.

"Well, we think we do." Sapphire corrected.

"Well where are they?" Mike exclaimed, when Sapphire didn't elaborate.

"We think," she stressed, "that they're in Watford. At least that's what's on the flier."

"And where's the flier?"

"Johnny still has it." Sapphire replied, shrugging in indifference, she had done her part and told the grown-ups, it was up to them now. She had barely finished speaking however, and Mike was rushing out of the door.

* * *

><p>Frank shifted uncomfortably in his seat. They had been sitting in the same position in total silence for over an hour now. Well not total silence, Liam's sighs punctuated the quiet at regular intervals. Frank let out a sigh himself as he, once more, looked around their 'prison'. However the small room was just the same as ever; four stark white walls with little decoration other than a few TV screens showing the views from the security cameras. None of them showed anything interesting though.<p>

Suddenly, the guard's radio came to life, a voice barely heard over the static announcing a need to speak to him. The guard stood abruptly and left the room without a second glance towards the two boys.

Said boys shared a glance, rolling their eyes at each other theatrically before Frank turned back to watch the door, on edge over the guards behaviour. In any case it wasn't long before they found out why he had acted like he had. The door banged open as Frank watched it, hit with such force that it bounced off the wall, rebounding back into the guard who caught with his hand.

The guard strode into the room, a huge grin spread over his face. "Well boys, looks like your going home. We managed to find out where you live, even with your refusal to co-operate." He declared, the last part said with such disapproval that it almost made the boys guilty.

"How?" Liam questioned, always one to aggravate the situation.

"Your letter." He answered, still smiling. "Add the name at the bottom with your, over enthusiastic declaration of having no parents, and the guy was easy enough to find. We have the phone number," he added walking over to the desk and picking up the phone, "if you want to do the honours."

* * *

><p>Neither of them had said anything since the phone call. The tension was becoming unbearable but Tracy didn't know what to say to break it and thankfully she didn't have to. Just when she thought she would cry out to ease the atmosphere, Mike appeared behind them.<p>

"I think I know where they went." He announced.

* * *

><p>Gina walked into the office, shaking her head at the piles of paperwork Mike had left scattered over his desk. She could hear a commotion from further down the hall, but automatically put it down to the kids arguing. Moving further into the office she sighed dramatically as the phone began to ring, it was hidden somewhere beneath the mess on Mike's desk.<p>

"Finally." She muttered as she located the phone, picking it up quickly in case it stopped before she answered it.

"Hello, Elm Tree House."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry about the delay, the last few days have been a bit weird.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and locations in this fic belong to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC.**

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><p>Liam and Frank both stared in horror as Gina's voice came down the phone. After neither of them had answered his question, the guard had shrugged non-committally before dialling the number himself and putting on the speaker.<p>

"Hi, I'm looking for a Mr. Mike Milligan, I believe he works there." The guard stated jovially, the grin still plastered on his face.

"Yes he does but he's busy at the moment. Can I take a message?" Gina asked.

"Yeah," he answered, frowning now. "This is Carl Hagen, I'm lead security at the Watford offices of Keavo. Can you tell him that we think we have two of his charges here. Two boy's about fourteen, fifteen, one has..."

* * *

><p>"You found them!" Gina interrupted excitedly. "How...can you hold for a moment? I have to get Mike." Without waiting for an answer Gina hurriedly exited the room, smiling widely.<p>

* * *

><p>Tracy gaped at Mike, her mind taking a few moments to process what he was saying. "Where?" She asked incredulously.<p>

"Watford. The kids figured it out." He answered.

"Watford! Why Watford?"

"There's a competition there for a drinks company." He stated, handing her the flier. "Apparently they've been making Liamade again." He added ruefully.

Tracy read the flier carefully before passing it on to Crash. "Sounds about right." She said wryly. "It's a wonder they've not tried to sell it on a bigger scale before."

"How did the kids find out?" Crash asked, still looking over the flier in his hand.

"They went through their rooms. We'll need to have a talk abou..."

Mike was cut off by Gina calling his name as she came racing up the hall. Turning quickly he moved towards the door to intercept her, worry and fear etched on his face.

"What's wrong?" He questioned.

"They've found the boys! They're in Watford, being held in the security offices. The head of security is on the phone now, a Carl Hagen, he wants to speak to you." She answered excitedly.

"The office phone?" He asked, already backing away from her.

"Yes but..."

"Thanks Gina." He exclaimed, hurrying towards the office.

Gina huffed in exasperation before following him. It had been a long day.

* * *

><p>Sapphire paused at the top of the stairs, looking back over her shoulder as she heard Gina shouting excitedly from the hallway. She shrugged unconcerned, thinking that Mike had obviously told her what they had found out about the boys. Carrying on once more, she turned into the corridor that would take her to her room only to be confronted by the rest of the kids standing in her way.<p>

Crossing her arms in front of her, she stared at the group defiantly. "What is this, the inquisition?" She asked sarcastically. At receiving no answer other than a a few glares, she huffed in exasperation. "Look. If you've got something to say, say it. Otherwise, you all need to get out my way."

"You told." Gus stated simply.

"Yeah, care kids don't snitch." Johnny added.

"Be serious guys. They weren't answering they're phones and Liam's got a reputation for pissing people off, someone had to do something before they got into trouble." Sapphire defended.

"But you told." Gus repeated.

"Yeah I told. What you gonna do about it?" She asked rhetorically before striding towards the group purposely. As she expected, they moved out of her way rather than face up to her. Although there was nothing she could do to stop the looks.

* * *

><p>Mike strode into the office, heading straight for the phone. "Hello, Mr Hagen? Yeah, this is Mike Milligan from Elm Tree House, I believe you have two of our boys in your office."<p>

Mike looked up on hearing Gina enter the office, a frown on his face as he listened to Carl speak on the other end of the phone. "Yes, I'm aware of what they've done, no I don't condone..." His hand gripped the phone tighter as he became more frustrated at the path the conversation was taking. "Look," he almost growled, gritting his teeth in irritation. "I know they've caused some trouble down there, but if we could talk to them and make sure they're OK?"

At Mike's disgruntled tone, Gina looked up from where she sat at her desk, trying to process some of the paperwork. "Is everything alright?" She asked, concerned by his behaviour.

Mike threw her a brief smile, as he put his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. "He's just being a bit difficult." He said, "stalling on letting me talk to the boys. But he's finally agreed to put them on."

Gina began to the reply, until they both heard a voice shouting down the phone. Mike quickly put the phone back to his ear, his posture relaxing at what he heard next. "Liam, thank god!" He exclaimed, collapsing onto the chair behind him. "What did you think you were doing?"

* * *

><p>"We thought we were gonna make a quick couple a quid." Liam answered cheekily, as Frank rolled his eyes in exasperation beside him.<p>

"But your OK?" Mike's worry could be heard clearly down the phone and it made both boys feel guilty, tempering Liam's attitude.

"We're fine Mike." Frank answered.

"Yeah, we just wanna come home" Liam said, before adding sheepishly. "Only, we've missed our train after being stuck in here."

"I'll sort it." Mike promised. "Can you put the guard back on now?"

"Yeah, but it's on speaker anyway. He can already hear you." Liam stated.

"That's good to know. Be good yeah, don't get into any more trouble." Mike warned. "We'll sort your punishment out when you get out."

The two boys winced at the veiled threat, sharing a look of hopelessness before going back to sit in their chairs, giving the guard some privacy to talk to Mike."

"I wonder what he'll do." Frank muttered.

"Dunno, but it'll probably be a good one. He sounded worried." Liam answered thoughtfully, before they both fell into silence, contemplating their fate.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've been trying to get this up for ages but every time I tried to upload I got a blank screen. I think FFnet dislikes my story :)). Although thanks to a post in one of the forums by Rhea Silverkeys, I found an epic wee trick to get around the problem. I doff my hat to you. Or I would if I wore one. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and locations in this fic belong to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC.**

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><p>It was getting late when Mike heard the car pull up outside. It had been a fight to get the kids to bed once they had found out that the boys would be back sometime that night, so he could be excused for feeling tired in present circumstances. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he pulled himself out of his office chair, moving towards the window to see who it was. Sighing he made sure he looked respectable before leaving the office, it had been a long two days and the stress was starting to show. <em>Hopefully things will calm down now that the boys have been found <em> he thought optimistically as he opened the front door to admit Gina and the shamefaced boys.

"Everything go alright?" He asked, looking to an equally tired looking Gina.

"It went fine." She answered as she ushered in the two boys in front of her. "Except for Mr. Hagen's rant on the failures of care homes." She added disgustedly.

Mike snorted in wry amusement before turning to the boys. "Well at least you're finally home and safe." He commented. "Come on, its late, both of you should be in bed. We'll talk in the morning."

* * *

><p>Both boys were too exhausted by the long day to argue, and walked to their rooms in companionable silence. Frank moved slightly quicker than he normally would, eager to get out of sight of the two care workers in case they changed their minds about delaying their punishment. His caution meant that he was the first to make it to the top of the stairs, and therefore the first to notice that someone was waiting up for them.<p>

Sighing tiredly, he braced himself for the onslaught of abuse he thought was coming his way, before continuing on to stop beside an irate Sapphire. As he waited for Liam to catch up he stayed quiet in case anything he said would somehow anger her more.

* * *

><p>Liam barely noticed when Frank was no longer walking beside him. He felt drained, the events of the day had taken there toll on him. Scrubbing his hand over his face in fatigue, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Sapphire standing in front of him beside a dispirited Frank.<p>

"What now." He muttered, annoyed that he was being prevented from such much needed rest. Fixing a smile on his face as he noticed the anger that was almost radiating from the girl, he strolled over so that he was standing in front of the two.

"So, what's up?" He demanded, trying, and failing, to sound as if he didn't care,

"One of you could have answered your phone's you know. You had everyone worried sick." She accused.

Frank flinched slightly at the truth of what she had said. "Mine ran out of battery." He mumbled.

"And what about yours?" She demanded, turning to Liam after fixing Frank with a stare,

"Mine's fine." He admitted, his smile faltering under Sapphire's stare. "I put it on silent so I wouldn't have to hear any you guilt trip us."

Sapphire huffed disgustedly at his response. "I hope they _really _punish both of you." She said scathingly before storming off.

Liam and Frank shared a look of amusement before going their separate way, eager to go to sleep.

* * *

><p>Tracy had just finished checking on the kids when she decided that she needed a hot drink. It had been quite an eventful day, a nice cup of tea would allow her to rest for a moment before she headed home.<p>

Turning on the kettle, she settled against the counter, resting her head in her hands. She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew someone was gently shaking her shoulder.

Startled, she jerked upwards, knocking into the person beside her and nearly falling over. She was stopped by two hands grasping her arms tightly to stop her fall.

"Thanks." She muttered, face red with embarrassment as she looked up into Crash's face.

"Any time." He smiled, letting her go once she was steady on her feet. "I think the kettle's boiled" He commented, nodding towards the steaming appliance.

"You want a cup?" She asked as she busied herself with the kettle. She turned long enough to see him shake his head no, before going back to making the tea. "It's late." She stated, making a face as she did so. "I mean, it's almost time for you to leave. First day over."

"Yeah, I only came in to say goodbye."

His admission made her turn round to face him. "Oh. So I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Actually I'm not back till next week. Mike thinks it'll be better if I wait till everything blows over, come back when everything's more normal." He grinned as he added the last part. "But I was thinking, " He continued on seeing he frown slightly at the news. "That we should meet up sometime before then and catch up."

"Yeah, that'd be good." Tracy responded, smiling brightly.

"Good." Crash repeated, when a car horn sounded from outside. "That'll be my lift. I'll phone you later, we can arrange a time and place." Pausing in the doorway as he was leaving, Crash turned back to look at Tracy. "It's been good seeing you again Tracy." He said brightly, before leaving.

Tracy smiled to herself after he left, her hands wrapped round the now empty warm cup. Still smiling, she walked over to the sink to rinse her cup, she was finally ready to leave. After getting her bag and jacket, she said goodbye to Mike and Gina. _They look tired_ she thought as she walked out the door, putting in her earphones as she went.

Her attention was so focused on the music now coming from her mp3 player, that she didn't notice the car that was slowing to a stop beside her, nor the young man that jumped out. She was totally oblivious to his presence until she felt a hand on her arm, pulling her to a stop. Snapping out of her reverie, she spun around, forcefully pulling her earphones out as she did so.

"Seth!" She cried, quickly identifying the young when she had turned to face him. "You scared me." She admonished.

"Sorry." He replied sheepishly. "I Just came over to see if you wanted a life home. An apology for what happened earlier."

"That'd be great. I'm too tired to go and wait for the bus." She admitted softly.

"Well let's go then." He said cheerfully, putting his arm around her shoulders as he led her to his car.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Double stuff Oreo's are the most epic biscuits ever. Seriously buy some, I just munched my way through a pack of them.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm too skint. As always all recognizable characters and locations in this fic belong to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC.**

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><p>Tracy leaned back in the seat as the warmth in the car washed over her, this was a much better option than walking in the cold. <em>But maybe it's a bit too comfortable <em>she thought as she caught herself dozing again_. _Straightening up determinedly, she turned to Seth. "Is it okay if I turn on the radio?" She asked, hoping that a bit of music would keep her alert.

"Yeah, sure." He replied easily, his attention wavering somewhat from the road in front of them as he turned to smile at her encouragingly.

Tracy fiddled with the car radio until she found a station that she liked. As the music filled the silence, they sat quietly, comfortable enough in each other's company for it to be pleasant. She was glad that the atmosphere from their last conversation was gone. Afterwards, she had been worried that it would make their next meeting awkward, so worried in fact, that she had left it to Toby to let him know that the boys had been found. When he had appeared to take her home, it had hit her hard that her concerns had been groundless, and that had left her feeling guilty. She hated feeling guilty.

"Thanks for picking me up." She said softly.

"No problem. I was looking for some stimulating conversation anyway." He teased.

"Oh haha, how very droll."

"C'mon, Trace. You know you're never this quiet." Seth continued, somewhat worriedly, but hiding it behind his teasing grin. "What's up?"

"I just..." She shook her head, a light blush covering her cheeks. "It's stupid." She finally gushed, blushing more prominently once she noticed the amused way in which Seth had looked at her before he had to avert his attention once more. Turning to look out of the window, she frantically tried to fight the redness burning her neck and face. She was just beginning to get her body back under control when she noticed that they were turning into her street, she was almost home.

"What's stupid?" He asked, turning to face her after he had parked the car outside her house.

"It's just that," Sighing in frustration, she let the rest come out in a rush". "I feel guilty for cutting you off earlier on the phone. You were just checking up on me and I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did." She ducked her head and snorted self-deprecatingly before muttering, "And I _hate_ feeling guilty!"

She was still facing the dashboard when she heard stifled laughter. Her head whipped up at the noise and she frowned upon seeing Seth with a hand over his mouth.

"I, I'm sorry." He choked out, trying to keep a straight face as her frown deepened. "But, c'mon. You really think I took offense from that? You were obviously stressed over the boys." Shaking his head in disbelief, he let out a final chuckle before he finally got himself under control.

Tracy huffed in embarrassment, rolling her eyes as the grin refused to leave his face. "I didn't want things to be awkward between us." She muttered sheepishly, her fingers fidgeting with the radio once more.

He sighed, looking at her intently as she studiously avoided his gaze. "Tracy." He said it so quietly it was almost a whisper, a plea that she would understand that nothing had changed between them, but she refused to look at him. "Tracy?" He repeated more forcefully, putting his hand over hers to still it. He felt her jump slightly at the contact and realised that she really was worried about his reaction, about them.

"So, how guilty are you?" He asked, once he knew he had her full attention, quirking an eyebrow and grinning widely so that she knew that he wasn't being serious.

Tracy couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. He was always able to make her smile her up, it was one of the things she liked best about him. "Not that much."

"Ahh, that's too bad. I was gonna ask if you were guilty enough to go out with me one night." When Tracy showed signs of interrupting he continued quickly, trying to keep her at ease. "You did say we would talk about it when the boys were back. Can't go back on your word, now can you? It's not a very good image for a care worker."

Her mind whirled with the suggestion, on top of everything else that had happened. She felt something brush the back of her hand and looked down to find that Seth's hand still covered hers, he had been holding it the whole time and she had barely noticed. Looking back up into Seth's face, she smiled softly when she saw that he was watching her, nervously waiting for her answer. "Yeah," She finally replied. "I'd love to."

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><p>Cam sat back from the computer, stretching out her cramped muscles from sitting in one place for too long. She glanced at her watch and sighed once she saw how late it was. Yawning, she shut the computer down and stood up, walking into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. As she passed the living room window, she paused, frowning once she noticed the unfamiliar car parked out front. They're were two people sitting in the front, and as she focused on the couple, she realised that the young person in the passenger seat was Tracy.<p>

Frowning more prominently now, she once more checked her watch, debating on whether or not to go out and see what she was doing. Tracy would probably see it as interfering but it was late, and the young girl had to be up early tomorrow for her work at Elm Tree. Making up her mind, she grabbed a cardigan off of the couch to guard her from the night air.

She walked briskly, eager to get it over with. As she got closer she recognised the young man that Tracy was with as Toby's ex social worker. Lily had told her all about him, including the fact that he had left a gig to go to the party that the kids had threw for Tracy. Neither of them noticed her until she tapped lightly of the passenger window, drawing their attention.

Tracy quickly opened the door as she saw who it was. "Cam..."

Cam interrupted quickly, unsure of how Tracy would take her actions. She had been quite volatile as a child"I just wanted to know if you were coming in soon. You've got to be up early and it's getting late..." She trailed off nervously, regretting that she had come. "OK then, I'll leave the door open, I'm going to bed." Turning quickly she made it halfway to the door before Tracy's shout halted her.

"Cam, hold on. I'll be there in a minute."

Nodding in acknowledgement, she stepped closer to the door, and the warmth.

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><p>Tracy was half out the car, sitting awkwardly in the seat. Sighing, she turned back to face Seth, cringing. "Sorry, she worries a lot."<p>

"It's OK, you should go in."

"But..."

"I'll call you tomorrow. We'll arrange a date"

"You better." Tracy joked, smiling at the prospect of a date with Seth.

"We'll now I'll have to. Can't mess with The Tracy Beaker now can I." He teased. Tracy scoffed at his teasing hitting him lightly on the arm.

"Not funny." She muttered, getting only a small smile in response,

"I'll see you later then?" She asked, moving to get out of the car, only to be held back by a hand on her arm. Before she could react however, Seth had placed a light kiss on her cheek, near to her lips.

"Definitely." He answered cheekily. "You should go, it looks like Cam's getting cold." Tracy snorted in response after seeing for herself that Cam was indeed shivering in the doorway.

"Bye." She called, waving over her shoulder as she walked towards Cam. She received a brief wave in answer before he was gone, leaving her to answer Cam's questions by herself.

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><p><strong>AN: Mon' The Moon! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Do you actually have to do these every chapter or just the first? Anyway, as always all recognizable characters and locations in this fic belong to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC.**

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><p>The next day was dull and dreary, soft drizzly rain, the kind that soaked you to the bone, fell relentlessly. Cam had, had an early meeting in the city and so Tracy was left to make her own way to work. She really had to get a car of her own, but after her last attempt with that furry contraption, she was reluctant to try again. Another few days like these might jump start that happening though, however much she thought that she might end up with another dud.<p>

Sighing, she shook out her umbrella before entering Elm Tree, maybe the kids could cheer her up, god knows she needed it. As she ambled towards the office, trying to fix her badly frizzing hair as she went, she was distracted by laughter coming from the laundry room. She hurriedly changed direction, envisioning the kind of disasters that could be happening in there.

Stopping in the doorway of the laundry room, her lips twitched into a bemused smirk at the sight in front of her. "I don't think your supposed to enjoy your punishment." She commented conversationally.

Liam looked up at her from where he knelt in front of the washing machine, his face split by a cocky grin. "Nah, probably not, but it'd be boring otherwise."

"Yeah, and why would we want to be bored?" Frank asked from his position by the dryer where he was meticulously folding clothes.

"I think it's kinda the point." She responded sarcastically. After only getting shrugs in response, she walked further into the room, making herself comfortable by leaning against the wall opposite the boys. "So, what's you punishment? Is it bad?"

"Meh, I've had worse." Liam replied almost instantly.

"Well maybe we should tell Mike and Gina that. See what they can come up with." She said jokingly, smiling when the boy scowled good humouredly.

"We got more chores and an allowance deduction." Frank said, his face showing that he too thought that it could be worse.

"And we're grounded." Liam added.

"So, the usual then?" Tracy questioned. "I thought they would've been more inventive this time, you really had us worried you know." At Tracy's statement both boys shared a quick look of guilt before hiding it.

"It's not like we even went far." Liam defended. Tracy let the comment slide, she knew they were sorry but she also knew they would never admit it.

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><p>Tracy was cutting up vegetables when her phone rang – her job, for the most part, was nothing if not predictable. Checking the screen before she answered, she couldn't stop the smile that covered her face when she saw who it was. "Hey," She greeted, still smiling. "What's up?"<p>

"Well, I did promise to phone. Or did you forget?" Seth asked, his voice filled with humour.

Tracy scoffed light heartedly at his suggestion as she moved away from the counter to sit on one of the chairs. "Of course not." She assured. "So what are you up to today?"

"Keeping busy. The bands getting together later, so I'm just killing time till then. What about you, everything in the house going alright?"

"How productive." She teased. "Yeah, everything's fine, for now at least. Peace never seems to last long in this place." She added wistfully.

"Sounds like you need a break."

"Yeah, one that preferably involves, sun, sea and sand."

Seth chuckled good humouredly at the joke. "Well I'm not sure I could spring for a holiday. Would you settle for a movie Wednesday night? It can even be beach themed so you can pretend your there."

"I think that could be a suitable substitute." She answered, fighting the laughter in her voice.

"Good to know I can help." He said sarcastically. "So that a yes?"

"Course it is."

"Excellent. I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Yeah, that should be fine. It'll need to be at Elm tree though."

"No problem. Look I gotta go, but I'll see you Wednesday?"

"See you then." Tracy sighed happily as she hung up the phone, she couldn't believe they were really doing this. Standing up she went back work, humming cheerfully as she did.

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><p><strong>AN: So this one was kinda shortish compared to some of my other chapters, but it's more of a filler chapter anyway. **

**Mon' The Moon! (MTM!) **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own anything recognizable in this chapter.**

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><p>Walking up the driveway the next day – thankfully after a lift from Cam - Tracy could already hear the loud arguing from inside. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she briefly debated phoning Cam before she got to far away. and asking her to come pick her up, she could plead a sudden oncoming of sickness. Snorting audibly, she quickly dismissed this idea as silly, Cam knew her far too well to fall for it. Taking a deep breath, Tracy squared her shoulders determinedly before entering the building, she could tell it was going to be one of <em>those <em>days.

The noise level increased dramatically as soon as she opened the door, following it to the source, Tracy found herself standing in the middle of the rec room. It was chaos. Elektra, one hand held high in the air, the remote clasped firmly in her fist, was arguing loudly with Johnny, Carmen and Lily, their words indistinguishable in the racket. Beside them on the couches, Harry sat his eyes wide with concern with his arms wrapped protectively around Jeff, across from him and closer to the arguing, Toby and Tee looked on worriedly as the bickering grew more intense. Close by them all on the computer, Sapphire was adding to the commotion by shouting at them all to be quiet. In the middle of it all the newly fixed TV was blaring.

From what Tracy could see, Gus was the only quiet one in the room, he was too busy taking down a record of all that was happening to add to the chaos. She also noticed that Frank and Liam were conspicuously absent, but quickly put it down to them still being caught up in their punishments. Striding further into the room, she vaguely wondered what Mike and Gina were up to before pushing the thought aside on order to deal with the matter at hand. "Enough!" She screamed, fighting to be heard over the others. Almost instantly, the room quietened, the only sound coming from the TV. "What's going on here?" She asked, quieter now.

"They're fighting over what to watch?" Sapphire answered disgustedly, before sitting back down at the computer and blocking them out, effectively ending her part in the conversation.

"That true?" Tracy asked, turning to the now silent, but glaring foursome.

"So what if it is?" Elektra responded defensively. Rolling her eyes at the young girl's attitude, Tracy held out her hand for the remote.

"What?" Elektra asked innocently.

"Give me the remote." Tracy stated simply. Elektra huffed over-dramatically before complying.

"Thank you." Tracy said, smiling hugely, which put the kids, Elektra especially, slightly on edge. "You'll get this back when you decide you can watch TV without arguing." Still smiling, she then proceeded to leave the room, ignoring the barrage of complaints and insults that followed her out.

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><p>After figuring out that the TV had been left on BBC news, most of the kids left the room to find something else to do, leaving Carmen, Lily, Tee and Sapphire alone in the rec room. As Sapphire was still doing her best to ignore everyone, the others eventually settled down to play cards.<p>

They were halfway through a game of Scabby Queen when they're whispering and not so very covert glances at Sapphire began to annoy her.

"What?" She demanded, turning around in her chair to face them after a particularly long inspection from Carmen.

"Do you wanna play?" Tee asked, visibly hesitant.

"I thought I was being blanked?" Sapphire asked bitterly.

"You were right...about telling Gina and Mike about the boys." Carmen said.

"Yeah, and we wanted to apologize for acting the way we did." Lily added shyly.

So, do you wanna play?" Tee repeated, more hopefully this time. The last three comments had been made in such quick succession that it took Sapphire a minute to sort through them.

"Uh, yeah." She finally answered, smiling softly. "What are we playing?" She asked, as she shut down the computer and walked over towards them.

"Scabby Queen." Carmen stated, smiling brightly as she caught Sapphire rolling her eyes.

"Fine." She relented. "But I get to deal."

* * *

><p>The next couple of hours didn't get any better for Tracy. After the argument over the TV, a mood had seemed to settle over the dumping ground. Fights were breaking out all over the place and it was all Mike, Gina and Tracy could do to keep the peace. She was almost at breaking point when her phone rang. Wearily, she picked up her phone, more intent on stopping the incessant ringing than actually answering. "Hello." She greeted, her tone questioning as she didn't recognise the number.<p>

"Hey Beaker. You sound beat." Crash's amused voice came down the phone making Tracy smile.

"Yeah it's been a long day, and it's barely even dinner time. What's up?"

"Just calling to see if you still fancied that catch up." A moment's beat passed before Tracy responded. In all that happened since they had last spoke, she had completely forgotten about agreeing to meet up with him.

"Of course I do. It'd be good to find out what you've been up to." She teased.

"Good." He stated, sounding relieved. "What about Friday night? It's about the only night this week I have any time off."

"Sounds great."

"Good." He repeated. "I'll pick you up about sevenish? At Elm Tree?" At that moment another argument broke out outside the room Tracy was in. Sighing in frustration, Tracy's shoulders sagged at the thought of trying to break up another one.

"Yeah, that should be fine." She answered quickly, almost dismissively. "I need to go, another fights broke out. But I'll see you Friday." Before Crash could answer Tracy had hung up the phone and was halfway towards the fighting children, their conversation almost forgotten as another headache began to throb painfully behind her eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: I love Scabby Queen haha, not played that game in ages. So there's only about two/three chapters of this left to go, *insert sad face here*. Can't believe it's nearly finished, I've actually really enjoyed writing this.**

**MTM!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I clearly own Tracy Beaker, isn't it obvious. And end sarcasm.**

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><p>Tracy's nerves were shot by the time six o'clock rolled around. When she had asked for the evening off, Mike had, innocently enough, inquired into whether or not she had anything special planned and she had – quite naively, she thought now – told him her plans. The news then spread through the house like wildfire. Before eleven everyone had heard about it, before twelve, everyone had already managed to tease her. Even Harry.<p>

Resigned to her fate by now, she sighed as Carmen and Lily walked passed her on the stairs, giggling as they caught sight of her. Glancing at her watch once more – at least the eighth time in as many minutes - she decided it was about time she started getting ready, if nothing else it would get her away from the kids teasing.

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><p>Standing in front of the mirror, Tracy smiled at her reflection. She looked nice, which was good because she needed all the confidence she could get. Her hands were shaking with nerves. She was checking her make up when a sudden knock on the door made her jump in surprise.<p>

"C'mon, Tracy!"

"How long does it take you to get ready?"

"I need to pee!"

_Typical_, she thought. _It's impossible to get ant privacy in this place. Not that Cam's would've been any better. She'd be knocking on the door as well. _"I'm coming." She finally answered out loud, shouting slightly, to be heard over the noise. "Don't get your panties in a twist." She muttered as she walked over to the door, jumping back in fright at the scene before her. Gus, Carmen, Tee and Lily had been standing in the in the doorway. They had been so close that Tee had almost fell into the bathroom when Tracy had opened the door. It had taken a quick dive from Lily to keep her upright.

"You've spent exactly thirty two minutes and sixteen seconds in the bathroom." Gus commented. "It doesn't take that long to get ready. Even Sapphire doesn't take that long. She only spends twenty three minutes forty-six seconds on average."

"That's nice Gus." Carmen said dismissively, before turning to face Tracy once more. "You look great." She continued, smiling widely.

"Yeah Tracy, you look really nice." Tee agreed.

"Thanks you guys, I..."

"I need to pee!" Lily interrupted, before pushing by Tracy and slamming the door behind her.

"She has been waiting for a while." Tee said apologetically on seeing Tracy's look of confusion.

"I'm going to go wait in the hall." Tracy said, laughing slightly before saying her goodbyes to the girls – Gus had already wandered off after delivering his findings on her bathroom habits. Striding over to the couch that sat underneath the stairs, she cursed her luck as Liam's sarcastic voice floated down from the stairs.

"Well aren't we all dolled up?" Looking up she saw both Liam and Frank leaning over the railing, looking down at her.

"Don't you have chores to do?" She asked somewhat crossly.

"Nah, we're finished for the day." He replied, smiling cockily.

"Well do you want some?"

Rolling his eyes at her response, Liam turned to his friend. "Come on, she's no to annoy when she's like that." They were just about to walk away when the doorbell rang. "Besides looks like her dates here." He added, before both of them were sent running back up the stairs laughing after a particularly withering look from Tracy.

Swallowing thickly in nervousness, Tracy quickly ran her hands over her hair and her dress, checking to make sure she looked her best before opening the door. "Hey." She greeted shyly, on seeing that it was indeed Seth on the doorstep. Smiling, she quickly followed Seth to the car after waving to the kids who had gathered in the hallway to see her off.

* * *

><p>The movie had long since finished, but their date was still going strong by the time eleven o'clock came round. After the film had finished, Tracy had been having such a good time that she had wanted to stay out longer, but had been too shy to ask Seth. That had annoyed her greatly. Tracy Beaker wasn't shy, or that's what she had always told herself. She had been saved from saying anything though as Seth had apparently felt the same way. Now, almost an hour and a half later, they were sitting in a booth at the back of a café in town.<p>

"So do you have any other plans this week?" Seth asked, breaking Tracy's train of thought.

Startled slightly by the intrusion, Tracy smiled at him before putting down the cup that she had been drinking from. "Not, really. I'm meeting up with Liam later in the week. A chance to catch-up."

"The new trainee care worker?" Seth asked.

"Yeah." Tracy replied, slightly confused now. Seth and Liam had met, he knew they used to be in care together.

"That should be fun." He said brightly, any trace of jealousy now gone.

"It'll be nice to catch up." Tracy commented, still confused but eager to put it behind her and return to the easygoing atmosphere they had enjoyed up until that moment.

* * *

><p>Seth sighed inwardly as he caught Tracy glancing at her watch. Things hadn't gone so well after he had asked her about her plans. Up until that point the conversation had flowed easily, now though, they struggled to find a subject to discuss, and their chat had withered to benign comments about their food and the weather. He couldn't help it though, he was jealous of Liam. The fact that they had a shared history meant that they had a connection that he wouldn't be able to be part of, and that made him uneasy. Making a quick decision, he decided it would be a good idea to end the night before, anything else could sully it.<p>

"It's getting kinda late." He announced, after an especially long pause. "Wanna call it a night?"

"Yeah, sure. I have to get up early in the morning anyway." Tracy answered secretly pleased by the suggestion as their date had begun to lag.

* * *

><p>The car ride had been silent, but unlike the multiple silences in the café, it had been companionable, with both of them lost in their own thoughts. It had lasted until they pulled up outside of Tracy's house.<p>

"This was fun." Tracy stated, breaking the silence. She winced as soon as the sentence left her mouth. It had sounded so lame.

"Yeah, it was." Seth answered, smiling at her, after catching her wince. "We should do it again sometime."

"We should." She agreed. "I should go though, don't want a repeat of last time. I don't think Cam could take the cold again." She added, jokingly. After saying their goodbyes, she was almost out of the car when a hand on her arm held her in place. She looked questionably at Seth over her shoulder, frowning when she noticed that he looked nervous. "Seth, what..."

She was cut off abruptly by his lips pressing softly against hers. It lasted only a few seconds but Tracy's head reeled at the contact.

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><p><strong>AN: As this was (probably) the penultimate chapter, I wanted to thank everyone who read/reviewed/story-alerted this story. You guys are epic. **

**Special shout out to Cuteworld desu desu and Breather89.**

**MTM!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I'm currently in negotiations for the rights to Tracy Beaker. However at this particular moment in time it still belongs to Jacqueline Wilson and the BBC. **

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><p>The next couple of days flew by in a daze for Tracy, as she found it hard to focus her mind on anything other than the kiss. Her absent-mindedness had affected not only her personal life, but her work at Elm Tree as well. Mike had picked up on her distraction fairly quickly and had confronted her about it, a meeting which had ended quite suddenly because a fight had broke out upstairs between Sapphire and Elektra. Tracy had never been so happy about the rivalry between the two girls as in that moment.<p>

After the failed meeting, another chance to discuss her 'carelessness' – as Gina had called it – had yet to offer itself, and so Tracy had escaped explaining herself, but had in exchange had to put up with the disapproving looks of both Gina and Mike each time she made the smallest of mistakes. It was like all her hard work at proving herself capable enough since her first day had went down the drain.

It had affected her so much that up until he had sent her a text to tell her that he was looking forward to that night, Tracy had completely forgot about her plans with Liam once again. The thought that she was once more forgetting about her friends through selfish reasons caused her to feel an immense amount of guilt. Especially since one of those friends had been Liam in both cases.

_I hate feeling guilty, _Tracy thought vehemently, unconsciously reiterating a similar thought she had had a few days ago. Her mood now soured by her thoughts, Tracy spent the rest of the morning with a permanent scowl on her face.

* * *

><p>It was nearing five o'clock by the time Tracy noticed that the kids seemed to be staying away from her. By half six she finally decided to do something about it, although she would never admit it, she missed their teasing. She would have to do it quickly though, as Liam was coming to pick her up soon. Striding purposefully into the rec room, she smiled thankfully when she realised that only a couple of the kids where there, she wasn't sure she could face all of them at once.<p>

Standing by the couches where the kids had congregated, she fixed them with a trademark stare. "So what's going on?" She demanded, arms crossed in front of her.

"What do you mean?" Lily reflected innocently. Out of all of them, she was the most used to dealing with Tracy's tempers after her time spent living with her and Cam.

"You know fine well what I mean. Why have all of you been avoiding me?" She continued, her tone gaining new levels of aggression.

"Well..." Tee started, looking around her for any support, only to find none was coming. Sighing she continued on, there was nothing else she could do under Tracy's intense stare. "You seemed kinda angry today, and we didn't want to make it worse."

"Or have it turned against us." Carmen muttered.

"I'm not that bad am I?" Tracy asked after being stunned into momentarily silence by their answer. Thankfully, the kids were saved from answering by a car horn sounding outside.

"There's your date." Lily said mischievously, glad to change the subject. Tracy paused before leaving, she didn't to let this go, but she didn't want to keep Liam waiting either. Hearing the doorbell go, she quickly reached a decision and headed for the door.

* * *

><p>The night had gone well. They had gone for dinner and passed away the time talking about their days in care. By some unspoken consent, they had firmly stuck to talking about the good times they had had, rather than focusing on things that they would rather forget. The conversation had carried on after dinner, taking them into a pub near Tracy's house. Neither of them were big drinkers, so the few drinks that they each had, lowered their inhibitions enough that they spoke more freely with each other.<p>

It was getting late and Tracy was considering calling it a night when Liam surprised her. They had been sitting quite close together near the back of the pub, and Liam had turned slightly in his seat so that he was facing her fully, his arm around the back of the seat so that it was nearly brushing her shoulder. Tracy had been focused on the story she had been telling, her delight in the tale clear on her face, when he had leaned in and kissed her. She had been so shocked that it had took her a moment or two to react.

Startled, her hands had come up to push him away at the same time she drew her head back away from him. "Liam..." She began, before stopping, she had no idea what to say. "I have to go." She finally finished before rushing out of the building, leaving Liam alone and bewildered in the pub.

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><p>After the incident on Friday night, Tracy was dreading Monday morning at the Dumping Ground. Liam would be back for his training, and she would have to face him. He had phoned a few times over the weekend, but she had refused to answer. She was too confused by the situation to handle it, but she was going to have to now, there was no way she would be able to avoid him all day Monday, the house wasn't that big.<p>

Now that she was here, the anxiety was worse. It had manifested itself into a constant throb behind her eyes, putting her in a less than happy mood. Gathering her courage, she forced herself to walk forward, into the house.

* * *

><p>She managed to make it till lunchtime before running into him. She had been coming down the stairs with a load of washing that the kids had 'forgot' to bring down and had got to the bottom just as he had walked through the door. The moment seemed to stretch on forever as his eyes caught hers. She was rooted to the spot and it was only Gina's entrance behind the boy that broke the tension and allowed her to move. Going quickly, she gratefully retreated to the laundry room. She knew she was hiding, but at this point in time she didn't care.<p>

She stayed in that room as long as she could, unintentionally taking over Frank and Liam's punishment. It was nearly dinnertime when she finally came out, and by then she couldn't help it. Surprisingly, another fight had broken out in Elm Tree. This time however it was between Toby and Johnny, and that was a surprise.

Gina and Crash had managed to break the two boys up by the time Tracy had gotten there and were trying to find out what was going on, without any success. Tracy quickly dispersed the group of kids that had stayed to watch the fight, before turning her attention to the two boys. She was surprised at them, Toby especially wasn't one for fighting. Before she could ask what was going on, Gina had declared that she had work to do in the office and was leaving the two of them to deal with it. Apparently it would be good training for Liam.

Several bribes and a few threats later, neither of them were any closer to figuring out why the fight had started. Both boys were refusing to talk, so it was finally decided to send them both to their rooms and get Mike to deal with them later. This left Tracy and Liam alone together however, making Tracy look nervously around her for the quickest exit.

"We should probably talk, about last night." Liam said nervously, after a couple of moments silence.

"Yeah, probably." Tracy answered, obviously reluctant. "Maybe we should do it somewhere a bit more private though." She added. Liam nodded in agreement at the idea and suggested, the laundry room.

"After all, everyone still thinks that's where your hiding out." He teased lightly, trying to lighten the atmosphere between them as they walked towards the room. She had barely closed the door behind her, before Liam had began speaking rapidly.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night, I just thought...I just thought you liked me as well." He finished lamely.

"It's fine. It's just that me and Seth..." Tracy paused, sighing tiredly before continuing, "I do like you , just not like that."

"You and Seth?" He asked smiling. "I should have guessed." Liam leaned back against the washing machine and ran his hand over his face in fatigue. "Is it serious?"

Tracy blushed at his question. "Not quite. We've only been on one date so far, but we've got another one planned for Wednesday night." Still blushing, she fiddled with the hem of her t-shirt as she spoke, embarrassed.

"Well, I hope you have a good time." He said. "Are, we good? I mean, things aren't gonna be to awkward...?"

"We're fine." She replied quickly. "We should stick your training out together." She added, jokingly repeating something that they had agreed back in the day.

"Yeah we should." He answered, brightly. Clearly relieved by her reply. "We should probably get back to work though."

"Course, don't want Gina chasing after you." She joked.

* * *

><p>When Wednesday night came around, Tracy was just as nervous as she had been last time. But at least she didn't have to put up with the kid's teasing, only Cam's 'warning' about staying out too long. In trying to calm herself down a little, she had gotten ready a bit too early, and now she was left with nothing to do but flick through the TV. Letting her mind wander, she lazily thought back over the last couple of days. So much had happened that she couldn't quite believe it. Hopefully after tonight it would all get back to normal, or as normal as you could get at the Dumping Ground.<p>

It was Seth's car horn that finally pulled her out of her thoughts. Quickly giving herself a once over, she took in a deep breath, before hurrying out to meet him. _If nothing else, the place is good for a laugh, _she thought briefly, smiling before she hopped enthusiastically into the car, eager for the night ahead.

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><p>Finis.<p>

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><p><strong>AN:****So gutted this is over, I've enjoyed it too much lol. Good news is I've got another story planned. I won't be able to post it for a while though, cause I'm going on holiday on Thursday. Woot, Woot! A whole week of sun, sea and sand, can't bloody wait.**


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